Navy Yard

If you are willing to put up with rabid baseball fans (do we really have those?), this neighborhood might be a good one for you. But if you rely on the metro to get home from work, you might want to rethink. Even the yellow line is a mess on nights the Nats are playing. Not a total deal breaker for many, but something good to keep in mind.

If you are one of these rabid baseball fans, then the neighborhood might be perfect. You can fraternize with a giant Teddy Roosevelt (for those not in the know, we have FOUR mascots, and they're all former presidents. They all race each other at the seventh inning of every game, and Teddy always loses. This is why DC is awesome). Even if you're not a baseball fan, the affordability of this neighborhood is still pretty great.

The opening of the Washington Nationals Park as well as the United States Department of Transportation facility in the Navy Yard neighborhood were the two most important factors in the rebound of this neighborhood of 1,847 residents, located in the southeast section of the city. While StreetAdvisor defines this neighborhood as being defined by South Capitol Street S.E., M Street S.E and the Anacostia River, nay include the area from M Street S.E. to the Southeast Freeway in the neighborhood as well. In 2010, he average sales price for a home in the neighborhood was 491,160, however only 15% of the homes are owner occupied. In time this will change as this continues to be a more and more desirable neighborhood for people to live in.

There are numerous restaurants in the neighborhood including a Starbucks. Shopping is challenging unless you are looking for a Nationals tee-shirt, but that will continue to improve in time as well. The Eagle Academy is the one school within the neighborhood, while Van Ness Elementary School is nearby. Residents will appreciate how close the Navy Yard Metro is as well as numerous bus stops along M Street S.E.. I think many of the game day traffic problems that occurred when National Park first opened have been solved as more people choose to take the Metro to the game and leave the car at home.

Recent crime statistics indicate that the neighborhood is relatively safe with a most crimes being centered around theft from vehicles. The reason being a heavy Police (local, federal and military) presence in the area. As always, before making any decision to move into any neighborhood, analyze the most recent crime statistics and make an informed decision.

Navy Yard is primarily commercial and industrial, although this is changing. Recently some apartments and townhouses have gone up, but before that nobody lived here except military personnel. It is served by a direct Metro stop, so access is pretty easy. Before there was any general housing, the Navy Yard area was just a bunch of nightclubs and bars. Many of these establishments weren’t exactly the sort that “respectable” people would want to visit, but mostly catered to clientele on the margins of society. Along with these bars, prostitution and drugs were rampant.
Like many neighborhoods however, the Navy Yard is being redeveloped and taking on a new life of its own. Professionals are beginning to move in, especially those with government jobs or who do contract work in the area. Many of the old bars are disappearing too, because with the revitalization a lot of the crime is no longer tolerated. That isn’t to say however that this is a great place to live. Because of the industrial character of the surroundings, you’ll still have to deal with a lot of pollution. Also, two highways come together not far from there, so there’s a lot of noise. Lastly, traffic from the Nationals Baseball stadium can make for some interesting times during the summer.